A Simple Run
by wolfie22
Summary: What if Carol had gone on a run for baby supplies instead of Maggie?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Got some major Caryl feels going on recently, so I decided to do some writing. This wont be many chapters, but there will be a few and the Caryl will come a little later.

What happens if Carol was on the run with Glenn instead of Maggie?

* * *

It was meant to be a simple run.

Lil Asskicker was in desperate need of more formula and since Carol knew exactly what was needed, she asked to go along with Glenn.

Daryl was not overly fond of this idea, especially considering that she had just been found in the tombs and was still recovering, but Carol was the only one who knew what a baby needed, excluding Hershel.

"Asskicker needs a lot of supplies, Daryl and unless you want to send Hershel, I'm the best one to go and get what she needs."

Daryl was not happy, but he let her go with a warning, "You stay safe. I don't want to have come get ya myself."

Daryl and Maggie had brought back enough for Lil' Asskicker to survive a week at most and with day to day life being so unstable, it was better to stock for long periods than to hope that periodic runs would be a possibility.

Carol knew that she had to go, Maggie may be stronger, but Carol was able to hold her ground and she knew that Rick needed all the help that he could use at this moment.

With a round of hugs and lots of warnings to be careful, her and Glenn set off in search for supplies.

Hunting for baby supplies brought back fond, but hurtful, memories for Carol and she found herself being drawn to some familiar toys.

"We struck gold," Glenn's voice drew Carol out of her reminiscing and she looked to see him standing near a shelf full of diapers.

"Grab everything," she suggested, "making extra runs is just a hassle and Asskicker will need everything we can get her."

Carol found the formula that she knew was best and began loading a basket with everything she could find while Glenn focused on the diapers and small clothing items.

They were loading up the truck when they heard a voice that neither of them thought they would encounter again, "And where is it ya'll good people callin' home?"

Turning quickly and raising their guns, Glenn and Carol came face-to-face with a gun carrying Merle Dixon. His face immediately showed recognition and they were shocked when he instantly lowered his gun and began laughing, "wow," he raised his hands in surrender and began walking closer, "Jesus!"

Glenn looked stunned, but kept his gun firmly trained on Merle, "you made it"

Merle didn't seem fazed by the gun at all, "Can you tell me… is my brother alive?"

Carol could tell he was sincere and replied with a simple "Yeah", but kept her eyes trained on the sharp knife attachment that he has fashioned into his stump.

Merle started to inch towards Carol, "You take me to him and I'll call it even on everything that happened up there in Atlanta. No hard feelin's"

Glenn gave her a look of suspicion and she subtly shook her head as she gestured to the dangerous weapon.

Merle noticed their looks and chuckled, "You like that?" he shook the stump attachment, "Found myself a medical supply warehouse. Fixed it up myself, pretty cool huh?"

Carol knew that Merle was lying. He was a tough SOB, but he did not survive on his own this long. He had friends somewhere and he was not coming back to the prison until they knew more.

Glenn seemed to be thinking the same way as he proposed a plan, "We'll tell Daryl you're here, and he'll come out to meet you"

Merle was, sadly, not impressed with this plan and began advancing towards the pair, hands still raised and asking them to just hear him out.

Glenn raised his gun, "Woah, woah"

And Carol followed suit, "Merle, get back"

Merle listened to their warnings and stopped his advances, "hey darlin', the fact that we found each other is a miracle, c'mon now, you can trust me"

Glenn and Carol looked at each other again, trying to wordlessly figure out a solution. Merle wasn't exactly someone you blindly trust. The only thing Carol knew about him was that he was Daryl's brother and he'd been a jackass while they stayed at the quarry.

Glenn had been in the city when Merle was left on the rooftop, but all Carol knew was that he had been a danger to the group, so Rick was forced to lock him up. The key had been lost by accident and Merle was not the type to wait around for rescue.

Glenn took charge, "You trust us. You stay here."

Merle was clearly not used to the new Glenn, and did not appreciate being told what to do. Without any warning, he had another gun in his hand and fired a shot right between Glenn and Carol, shattering the back window of the truck and causing Glenn and Carol to turn in opposite directions.

Before Carol knew what was happening, Merle was holding his bladed stump against her neck and pointing his gun at her head. Glenn came around the back of the truck, gun in hand and found the sad sight.

"Hold up, buddy" Merle was taunting a clearly distraught Glenn and Carol stayed a still and quiet as she could. Showing weakness at a time like this would just put more stress on Glenn and she already felt stupid for getting caught.

"Let go of her!"

Merle ignored Glenn's request completely, "Put the gun in the car, put it in the car!"

Glenn complied and raised his hands, but Merle did not ease his grip at all, "Now we're gonna go for a little drive."

Carol was not risking her family by being the cause of this, clearly dangerous, man coming back to the prison, "Don't drive him back to camp, Glenn. Just go if you have to."

Merle chuckled and looked down at her, "No, mouse, we're going somewhere else. Get in the car Glenn! You're driving."

Glenn looked petrified and slowly moved backwards as Merle rose to his feet, dragging Carol.

Merle pushed her roughly into the car and Glenn gave her a concerned look as he began to drive away from their supplies.

As they drove away, Carol knew that they were in serious danger, but her main thoughts were straying to baby Grimes and how badly she needed that formula.

She couldn't help but think that she had let another child down. Rick was not in a good place right now and she knew that he needed help. Part of her wanted to go on this run to repay Rick for everything that he had done for Sophia and she had failed.

Merle gruffly barked directions every few minutes, but other than that they drove in silence. Glenn looked nervous and kept shifting his gaze towards her and the gun that was still pointed at her head.

Maybe Maggie would have reacted faster and Merle wouldn't have been able to grab her.

Maggie and Glenn were used to going on runs together and maybe they would have been more efficient and been able to get the supplies loaded before Merle had even showed up.

Maybe's were no use to them now. Now they had to focus on survival and try to figure out where the hell Merle was taking them and how they were going to get home.


	2. Sounds of Silence

Author's note: Yayyy Chapter 2!

* * *

They had been separated.

Carol heard Glenn's angry swearing at Merle coming from the wall to her left and assumed that he must be in the room next to hers. She had been shoved into a chair and had her hands tied behind her back with duct tape, but since then, there was nothing but silence.

No one had come to interrogate her, which is what she assumed would happen and she hadn't heard anything coming from the wall in a little while, so Glenn was alone as well.

Then she heard the creaking of a door opening and muffled voices from the room next door.

Once Merle started talking, she could make out their entire conversation and when he brought up T-Dog, Carol felt her heart sink.

"I hope he went slow," Merle's comment brought back the images of T-Dog rushing at two walkers to keep her safe. She would never forget his sacrifice.

Glenn was staying quiet and Carol knew that he would never talk. They were a family now and they would protect each other as long as they could, so Carol knew that they were both in for a world of hurt.

When Glenn refused to supply more information on Daryl's whereabouts, Carol heard Merle shift tactics and begin to threaten her, "Well maybe the little mouse can help me out. What's her name again Glenn? 'Cause I'm sure she'd like to get back to her little girl and husband, hmm? I don't think she would leave that girl alone for long, specially with a daddy like that."

Carol heard him chuckle, "Who d'you think is more important to her, Glenn?"

Glenn stayed silent and Carol was grateful. Carol was surprised that Merle remembered anything about her as they had very limited interaction at the quarry. Sophia had run into him once while playing with Carl, and she was so nervous that she could barely utter an apology. Carol had apologized profusely, which Merle merely ignored and went on with his business.

Since she had become closer to Daryl, Carol had learned more about his past and it wasn't pretty. Sophia had been absolutely terrified when she knocked into Merle that day and most of the other men around the camp had made her nervous as well. Carol suspected that Merle remembered Sophia and herself because he recognized the signs of abuse.

Merle kept on taunting Glenn and Carol was getting nervous, "You don't scare easy do ya, I like that."

His voice was getting rougher and she knew that Glenn wouldn't be safe much longer, "Now, I wanna know where my brother is," Glenn made a strange noise, "I wanna know where the sheriff is."

The clear sound of fists hitting flesh made Carol flinch, "I wanna know where ya'll hiding, where your camp is and I wanna know now!" The fighting was relentless and she knew that it was completely one-sided.

"Where the hell are they?!" Merle's screams and Glenn's grunts of pain reverberated around the room for what felt like an eternity. When the room finally fell silent, Carol feared that Glenn was dead.

The squeaky door was slammed shut and she heard heavy footsteps walking away. It was too quiet now, and she strained to listen for any sign of life from the room next door.

Small groans were at first a blessing, but the fear that she was hearing the reanimated Glenn soon struck her. Muffled cursing and coughing were a giant relief and she felt herself relaxing for a moment, "Glenn?" she tried to call out, but her voice was scratchy and she soon heard the same heavy footsteps returning.

Once again the footsteps went passed her own door and the door to Glenn's room was opened.

Merle was absolutely relentless with his need to find their camp and his shouts of "Where ya'll been?" followed by the sounds of a violent beating returned.

"it's just a matter of time before they come lookin," Glenn had been quite silent during the interrogation so far, but Carol knew that it was beginning to take its toll.

"Ain't no body comin,"

Glenn's faith in his family didn't waver, "Rick is and when he gets here…", but Merle cut him off before he could even finish, "He's gonna do nothing, not if he wants you and that little mouse back. Think I'm in this by myself?"

There it was. He had a group, and a large one if they had a set up like this.

"You can't take us all, there's too many of us," Glenn was trying to regain the upper hand, but it didn't faze Merle at all, and as Glenn listed names of friends long dead, Merle seemed to realize the lie and just chuckled at Glenn's attempt.

"You hurt Carol, and you're brother will kill you."

The bold statement from Glenn was met by silence and Carol couldn't understand what had prompted him to say something like that.

"Why the hell would my baby brother care 'bout some married old broad?"

"Her husband didn't make it," Glenn answered quite calmly, "and when Rick comes, Daryl will be with him and if she is hurt, you will be too."

Glenn fell silent again after this declaration and it seemed that Merle was shocked into silence, but his smug chuckles returned after a few moments and footsteps were heard again before the slamming of the door.

While it is true that she and Daryl were close, she wondered why Glenn would bring that up. He made it sound as if they were together, and though she wished for that some nights, his friendship meant way too much to her to risk it over how she was feeling.

All she could hear for the next little while was Glenn struggling with his restraints and she was doing the same. No one had come for her yet and it made her fear that Glenn's time was becoming shorter and shorter. Once they were finished with Glenn, they would come for her and she would give them nothing.

The next time she heard Merle's voice, it was accompanied by the unmistakable groans and snarls of a walker, "I want you to imagine how I felt, fighting my way off that roof. Last chance! Where's your group?"

At Glenn's silence, the door was slammed shut with Merle's cry of "get em boy!" and the sounds of a fight echoed through Carol's mind. She could do nothing but listen as her friend fought for his life and finally she heard a scream of triumph.

"Glenn?" she called out as she tried to shift her chair towards the wall separating them.

She coughed to clear her throat and tried again, "Glenn? Are you alright?"

But she was met with silence.

* * *

When Michonne showed up outside of the prison carrying baby supplies, everyone knew that something was wrong.

Daryl felt his fists clench at his sides as she spoke of Glenn and Carol being taken to a town called Woodbury. There was no hesitation as he looked to Rick, "We're goin."

"Daryl we need to make a plan, we can't just go charging in there without-", Rick's voice was drowned out by Maggie.

"We are going right now. We can plan on the way," Maggie and Daryl immediately turned and walked towards the ammo room to begin loading up.

Ignoring the others, Daryl started shoving flash-bangs and tear gas into bags, "Never know what we might need, so we'll take a little of everythin', that's plannin' enough."

Rick knew not to argue and began to help loading up the bags while telling Oscar and Michonne to do the same.

As they were putting the bags in the trunk, Herschel limped up to Daryl and with a quick glance to Maggie, who was already sitting in car, he simply stated, "Bring em back safe, alright?"

Daryl placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "Everyone's comin' back. Don't worry old man; I ain't losin' no one else."

The car sped through the walker infested yard and left nothing but a cloud of dirt behind it and worried faces peeking out from behind the prison gates.


	3. The Governor

Author's note: I don't really have anything to note other than that none of this is mine and that I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed and favourited this little story!

* * *

Merle Dixon did not like to be confused, _the hell did that Chinese kid mean? _

Was his little brother hooking up with the woman that he only remembered as a shadow? She was always running around camp, and doing laundry or cooking something. He had seen her take a hit from her sorry excuse for a husband, but back at the quarry he and Daryl tended to stay away from the others, so he never interfered.

Daryl always had a soft spot for kids, so maybe that little girl of hers had something to do with Glenn's threat.

He was thinking about this mystery relationship as he went to inform the Governor of his lack of information.

As expected, the Governor was less than impressed with the progress, "So what, he wont break, say where his people are?"

"He's a tough son of a bitch, picked that walker apart in minutes" Martinez was right and Merle was equally as surprised at the kid's new found strength.

He had to give Glenn props, tearing a walker apart in a few minutes while tied to a chair was impressive work and Merle knew better than to underestimate Glenn now.

The Governor was not thrilled about having no information, but was persistent to get some form of information on any additional members of their group that might be a threat, "What's the girl say?"

"Was just about to talk to her," Merle had a lot of questions for Carol, number one being what the fuck was going on between her and his brother, and two being if she wanted to try the older Dixon as well. He'd get to the questioning about the group later.

"I'll take care of it," The Governor gave no room for argument as he abruptly ended the conversation and walked off, leaving Merle's mind to struggle over Glenn's words.

As he watched the Governor head towards Carol's interrogation room, Merle felt an unfamiliar pang of fear for the woman that he hardly knew.

* * *

With no hope of wiggling free, Carol sat in the silence and waited.

There were no footsteps of warning and she jumped when the door opened unexpectedly. Instead of Merle, a different man entered the room and she instantly knew that this man was much more dangerous than Merle.

His clean look and handsome face covered the evil that she knew was lurking beneath the surface. She had been married to a man like this and would not be fooled by kind words or promises again.

He walked towards her in silence and produced a knife from his belt. At the sight of it, her fear rose, but she tried to keep it from her face. Still in silence, he walked behind her and cut the restraints that bound her hands.

As Carol rubbed her wrists to regain some feeling, he spoke his first words, "May I?" and she answered with a stare as he politely thanked her, sat in the chair across from her and lightly folded his hands atop the table.

He was smiling at her, "We'll take you back to your people and explain that this is all a misunderstanding. You tell us where they are and we'll drive you there."

_Really?_ Was all Carol could think. Did he really think it would be that easy for her to crack?

"I want to talk to Glenn" was her reply.

He smirked, "I can't allow that. You people are dangerous. Handcuffed my man to a roof and forced him to amputate his own hand."

"Merle was being a danger and had he stayed put we would not be in this mess right now. Our people don't abandon." Carol was trying to keep her voice from cracking and was maintaining eye contact to show that she was not a weakling.

"You just tell me where they are and we'll bring em here. You'll be safe I promise. We have a whole town here, people call me the Governor and I take care of my people" he clearly had never been refused by a woman. The confidence in his voice was overwhelming and she knew that his calm demeanor would soon crack.

"I learned a long time ago not to listen to promises from men like you" she stared him down and the sat in the stillness for a few minutes.

His voice didn't change and his smug smirk remained, "Really? And what kind of man is that, hmm?"

Carol gave him a smirk, "men who like to play mind games with women because they think we're weak. You're nice-guy routine isn't going to work and i'm not going to tell you anything to endanger my people."

The Governor's smirk widened into what could only be described as an evil smirk, "Well then, let's try something else. Stand up please."

When Carol made no move, he straightened in his chair and leaned a little further across the table, and his façade began to slip, "stand up."

The command was no longer followed by a please and Carol knew when to pick her battles, so she stood.

What came next, she did not expect, "Take off your shirt."

For a long time now Carol had seen herself as Ed's wife and nothing more. He had instilled in her the idea that no one looked at her like that and that she was worthless. When he died, she slowly began to leave that idea behind.

The joking around with Daryl was leaps and bounds from where her mindset had been just a year before and now this man was clearly going to use her gender against her.

When she didn't move right away, he presented an ultimatum, "take off your shirt or I'll bring Glenn's hand in here."

_Pick your battles_. Her mind yelled at her. She had been through much worse than losing a shirt and at least she knew for certain that Glenn was alive. Taking off her shirt would show him what he is up against and she knew that it would throw him off his game. He thought that she was a weak little woman who would crack at the thought of rape or at the first hit; he was wrong.

She lifted her shirt over her head and knew what he was seeing. The little cigarette sized burn marks still littered the skin of her stomach and she could tell that he was not expecting this turn of events.

He came towards her and placed a hand on her stomach, "What happened here?" The concern in his voice made her angry because she knew that he did not care and that this had merely peaked his curiosity.

She tried to be as nonchalant as possible with her answer, "My husband loved smoking and causing pain. At least he did before I put a pickaxe through his brain."

He chuckled and it sent shivers up her spine, "This one is from a baby," he pointed to her c-section scar from Sophia.

"Merle said you had a little girl. What are you doing playing brave when you have a little girl to get back to, hmm?" He walked behind her and leaned to whisper in her ear, "Just tell me where they are and you can see your little girl again. Bring her here, we have children for her to play with and she can grow up right."

He wrapped his hand around her neck, "I have a little girl too, they could be like sisters."

Carol shivered in revulsion, felt the tears begin to well in her eyes and willed them not to fall, "My daughter didn't make it."

The softness left his voice and he all but growled at her, "Did you put her down yourself?"

She turned to look him in the eye, "I couldn't, but someone from my group did. Someone gets bit, we do everything we can, but sometimes there's nothing to do. That's what we do, we're a family that takes care of each other, and they will come for Glenn and me."

He removed his belt and threw it on the table, then grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her into the table, "So you're not going to talk?"

It was Carol's turn to smirk, "You think this is the first time I've been bent over a table? I'm not telling you anything, so do your worst."

He pressed himself against her and traced some of the scars that we on her back. Carol tried to keep her mind focused on her family back at the prison and Glenn next door. The longer this man was terrorizing her, the more time she was buying for Glenn to recover.

Her brain strayed to Daryl. What would he do if he burst in through the door right now? Though she believed that Glenn was over exaggerating, she knew that Daryl would put an arrow straight through this Governor's eye for touching her.

When she felt his weight leave her, she was surprised. He hauled her into standing position and sized her up before backhanding her without warning. It was so sudden that she couldn't stay quiet and let out a cry as she fell to the floor.

This prompted a cry of "Carol?" from the wall that separated her and Glenn. The man simply looked down at her before walking out without uttering a single word.

Her mind was temporarily stunned, but she recovered quickly and called out to Glenn to let him know that she was alright.

They were both alive.

For now.


	4. Family Matters

Cold.

That was the main thing going through her mind right now. The Governor had taken her shirt and there seemed to be no heat in this building, so Carol sat on the floor, shivering and waiting.

The next time the door opened, the Governor returned. This time he simply grabbed her by the arm, dragged her from the room and down a short corridor where she heard Merle's voice talking to Glenn.

She was dragged into Glenn's holding room and gasped at his appearance. He had clearly been treated much worse than her and he looked as if he could barely stand. When he saw her without her shirt, his mind clearly assumed the worst and he attempted to lunge at the men, armed with nothing but a piece of a chair.

He promptly dropped his weapon as guns were pointed at her head and the Governor began to speak, "we're through playing games. One of you is going to give up your camp."

He pointed the gun at Glenn and Carol bit her lip to keep quiet. They had discussed this in their short conversation time through the wall. They would not be pawns to use against each other and neither was to give up the prison, even if it meant lives were threatened.

Noticing her reaction, the Governor placed his gun right against Carol's temple instead, "Carol here tells me you're all one big, happy family, seems to me like family would save each other right? Come on, son. All I want is your location and no one will get hurt."

Glenn smiled at Carol and looked at the Governor, "You think if I tell you where our people are that we will all live together happily? If you think this situation has a happy ending, you clearly haven't been paying attention. Either we die or our people come and you die, but we wont sell them out for each other."

"The needs of the many," Carol said as she smiled through teary eyes at a now silent Glenn.

The Governor smacked her across the face with the butt of his gun, "You are testing my patience!" his calm demeanor was gone and they were now facing a very different creature. He let his rage out on her and with every punch to her stomach and ribs he asked Glenn another question. She felt the crack, it was a familiar pain, and she knew that Ed had made it possible for her ribs to be a little more easily cracked.

She had suffered through more cracked ribs than anyone should ever have to and even the local hospital staff knew of her abusive relationship, but could do nothing since she refused to speak of it. Since his death, Carol found herself wondering why she hadn't just left Ed after the first slap, but like so many women, she had fallen victim to the apologies and the excuses and had learned to hide evidence.

Now she was becoming stronger, but she had forgotten how intense the pain could be and Carol almost fell to the ground, but the Governor's strong grip kept her upright. His shift in attitude was making her head spin as he immediately began to cradle her against his chest and tell her that he was sorry. He kissed her on the head and she tried to get out of his grip, but it was no use.

Merle and the other man were still pointing their guns at Glenn when Glenn spoke up, "Remember what I said Merle. He will kill you for hurting her."

The venom in Glenn's voice shocked Carol, but made the Governor smile, "too late boy, we know her husband's gone."

Glenn ignored the Governor and looked directly at Merle, "That is your brother's woman and you're letting your _Governor _abuse her, so much for family meaning anything to Dixon's."

He had gone too far and Carol knew it.

Merle began beating Glenn without abandon and Carol knew that he couldn't take much more before collapsing completely.

"STOP!" Carol was screaming as she managed to wiggle herself free from the Governor's grip and launched herself at Merle, "He didn't mean it, Merle. Stop, please!" She was standing between the two panting, bloody men in nothing but her bra and jeans and she knew that Glenn was getting a good view of her scars for the first time.

"I know about your family, Merle. I've seen the scars. I know how important Daryl is to you and I know you wouldn't betray him for anyth-"

She was cut off by Merle's angry voice, "You don't know nothing, lady and you best remember where you are right now."

Glenn and Carol were now side-by-side and facing down three, extremely angry, and armed men. Merle looked vicious and kept sending questioning looks towards Carol. At first she thought that he was simply sizing her up, but she knew that he was inspecting the scars and perhaps putting together the image of her and Daryl discussing how they each endured such pain.

The Governor simply looked at the two bloodied hostages and motioned for his men to leave. The unnamed man immediately complied, and Merle gave one last questioning look towards Carol before leaving the room. The Governor raised his gun and pointed it towards Carol, "One last chance. Any takers?"

Glenn was being supported by Carol and they merely looked at the crazy man before them and shook their heads in unison.

He knew where to aim in order to cause pain and not death, and the bullet tore through Carol's shoulder. This time there was no holding back her cry of pain and she dropped to the floor holding her shoulder as blood seeped through her fingers.

The door shut and Glenn fell to the floor to help Carol. He ripped his shirt and tied it as tightly around her arm as he could, "They're coming, Carol. We just have to hold on. Daryl knew you weren't dead in those tombs and when they find the baby supplies, they'll know what happened and they wont stop searching."

"Glenn, if you get a chance to go, you take it. You have to think about Maggie now, alright? I can take care of myself."

She tried to haul herself up to sit against the wall, but her strength was reduced to one arm, "This isn't the first time I've had some cracked ribs, and I will slow you down, so you have to run if you get a chance."

Glenn helped maneuver her into sitting position and worked on patching her shoulder tighter, "We stick together. If I get back without you, Daryl would probably kill me anyway."

"Glenn, you know we're just friends right? We have shared watch, and we've gotten close, but we're friends," she knocked against Glenn's shoulder, "I also didn't appreciate you calling me _his_ woman."

They laughed, which turned into pained coughs for both of them, but Glenn didn't quit, "When we thought you were dead, Daryl and Maggie went on a run and Maggie told me that he broke down out on the road. He was upset about T and Lori, but he was devastated about you, Carol. We all know that you belong together and it's about time you just accept it."

They fell into silence after that and continued to try and patch each other up just in case a chance to run appeared.

Carol's shoulder was throbbing and her brain was trying to process all of the different pains that were shooting through her weakened body. The feeling of being shot was a new pain and she quickly learned that it would not be easy to fight through.

Carol was not a quitter and if they had a chance to run, they had to take it. If they were rescued and had to help fight their way out, she knew she wouldn't be much help, but she would not give up and now she knew why.

She had to get back to Daryl.


	5. Not a Burden

Authour's note: Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed! You are all fantastic and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter!

* * *

Michonne brought the rescue team to where she had been questioned, but it was empty.

"We're sitting ducks if someone comes in here," Rick was getting worried as he looked through the windows and saw stragglers heading back to their houses.

"They could be in his apartment," Michonne was trying to be helpful, but Daryl was getting frustrated fast.

He walked towards her, angrily, "Yeah, and what if they ain't?"

"Then we'll look somewhere else", Michonne was not afraid of Daryl and did not appreciate his tone, "I'm doing what I can to help."

"No way can we search every building", Daryl growled, "Right now, it's the blind leading the blind. Let's split up."

Rick gave him a nod and they began to pair up, but a knock on the door and the jingle of keys stopped the conversation short.

A man entered and was almost immediately bound on the floor. They knocked him out and gagged him quickly since they could get no information from him and continued with their plan to find their loved ones.

* * *

Carol and Glenn were left alone for quite a long time. Without windows it was impossible to tell if it was day or night, but Carol felt as if she had been bleeding for days. Her face was losing colour and no one had given them food or water, so she could feel herself losing strength.

Glenn had decided that they needed to arm themselves with something, so he took it upon himself to rip the bones from the arm of the walker that had nearly killed him. It was disgusting, but necessary in this world.

Carol held her make-shift weapons in her good hand and she knew that it would hurt like hell if she needed to take someone down. She had tried not to move since they had been left alone in order to conserve her strength.

They heard the footsteps approaching and decided that it was now or never, so when the door was opened, Glenn charged at Merle and Carol went after the other man. She managed to utilize the bones and stab him in the neck quickly. Glenn's injuries were too great and Merle managed to overpower him almost right away, leaving him on the floor with a blade against his neck.

Carol grabbed the dead man's gun, and pushing through the pain, she leveled the weapon at Merle's head, "Just let us go, Merle."

A strange look came across Merle's face, as if he didn't want to be there at all, but it quickly shifted to a smirk and he raised his arms in surrender. Two men were behind her in an instant with guns and their fight was lost before Merle could even acknowledge her plea with a proper response.

She and Glenn were made to kneel next to each other and bags were placed over their heads as they started to be dragged through another corridor. As they stumbled in the darkness, Carol felt Merle's grip on her uninjured arm tighten and loosen periodically as if he was struggling with his actions.

She did not have much time to think on this as an eardrum shattering bang echoed through the room and she saw flashes of light through the bag. Merle's grip stayed tight, but the bag was removed from her head and she could barely see anything in the, now smoke filled, room.

She saw the blurred figure of Glenn being grabbed and then there was someone standing in front of her, someone whom she would recognize through any amount of smoke, Daryl Dixon.

Without warning he grabbed her injured arm and moved to haul her from the room of guards, but she could not hold back the yelp of pain. Her face drained of colour and she felt faint as Daryl's eyes widened as he took in her half-naked, bruised and bloody form. She watched his face as he finally noticed the man standing behind her. Merle's grip tightened again and she heard Daryl's stunned voice, "Merle?"

A gunshot rang through the small space and they noticed the smoke beginning to clear and the men beginning to locate their weapons. Suddenly Merle was pushing her towards Daryl and hurrying along behind them as they escaped the dark room and the recovering guards.

* * *

Merle was almost carrying her as they ran behind the others through the streets of Woodbury and towards an empty house. Once inside, Glenn fell to the floor and was immediately being helped by Maggie, but Carol found herself with Merle's bladed stump pressed to her neck once again.

This time the guns of Rick and Oscar pointed back, along with Michonne's katana and Daryl's crossbow.

The bow never wavered as Daryl snarled at his brother, "You best let her go, Merle!"

The sight of a half naked and extremely beat-up Carol was making Daryl's blood boil and the fact that she was still in danger and that it was from his own brother was causing his blood pressure to sky rocket.

"If I let her go, what's to stop officer friendly over here from shooting me where I stand, hmm?" Carol was slowly slipping out of consciousness and trying to stay awake by focusing on Daryl's voice, "If you want little Carol here to make it back to y'alls camp, I'm coming too."

"You're not coming anywhere with us," Rick stepped forward and raised his gun, but at that moment, Carol's eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious. Merle was momentarily stunned and his blade nicked Carol's cheek as she fell to the floor.

This was all that the group needed to move in on Merle and in a few seconds Rick was striking Merle in the head with his python and Carol was safely in Daryl's arms.

"We can use him, Rick," Daryl shifted Carol in his arms, "I'm not leaving him here, he's my brother."

"You're brother is the reason that Carol is unconscious right now," Glenn spoke up from the floor, "he brought us here and he let the Governor terrorize her then beat and shoot her. He belongs here."

Maggie held Glenn against her chest as his breathing became a little labored, but he continued to talk, "We're never gonna make it out of here with you carrying Carol and someone else taking Merle. I can barely fight, because of your brother, and they are armed out there. We have to go."

Daryl didn't respond right away, he simply looked between the unconscious forms of his brother and his, well, his woman. It was time to wake up and admit that Carol was his and that he was going to get her out of this no matter what that meant.

It was then that the sounds of gunshots came from the other side of town, "This is our chance," Rick was sneaking looks out the window where most of the armed citizens were running towards an apartment building, "Michonne must be drawing them off. She mentioned his apartment before, must've gone after him alone."

Daryl was shocked when the normally quiet Oscar came towards him, "I'll take her, you grab your brother," at Daryl's look of disbelief Oscar continued, "I wont let anything happen to her, she's the nicest one in your group and didn't treat me and Axel like shit. I know you ain't gonna leave your brother, but we definitely ain't leaving Carol, so let me help."

Daryl nodded and slowly shifted Carol into Oscars open arms and moved to start slapping Merle awake. When Merle regained consciousness, Daryl dragged him to his feet and started following the others. Rick and Glenn were not impressed with the change of plans, but they had no time to argue if they wanted to get out alive.

They used the smoke bombs and flash-bangs to distract the town and give them some cover for their escape. They managed to get around a safe corner and stopped to regroup and strategize over how to take out the remaining gunmen and get out of Woodbury.

With the added burden of Merle, the fight was not easy, but they managed to make it to the barricade of the bus. After Merle and Daryl were safely on top of the bus, Oscar passed the still unconscious Carol to Daryl. This movement left him exposed to the oncoming gunfire and he went down before Maggie, Glenn or Rick could get to him.

Maggie took care of Oscar and made sure that he wouldn't turn before they scaled the bus and made their way to safety.

Merle was finally able to handle himself, so Daryl immediately scooped Carol into his arms and continued on the way to freedom. They stopped moving when they stopped hearing gunshots and as they were regaining their breath, Michonne came back to a not so friendly welcome. She was quick to put them in their place and remind them of her importance.

"You need help to get back to the prison. You need me," and no one could deny that this was the truth. They needed all the help that they could get if they were going to make it back alive. No one wanted to deal with Merle, and with Glenn and Carol needing help, Michonne was an asset that they could not afford to lose. By the time they made it to the highway and the car, the fight over Merle's position in the group became heated.

Daryl did not want to deal with the fighting. His shirt was soaked through with the blood from Carol's wound and he laid her down on the floor as she began to stir in his arms. Her pained groans as she woke up made Daryl cringe as he tried to hold in his rage. He knew that he needed to hold back and take out his anger on the Governor, not on his family.

The bickering stopped as everyone turned their attention to Carol. Glenn was at her side in an instant and he went straight to her arm to remove the bloody shirt scraps and inspect the gunshot wound.

"They didn't get any information...Glenn...tell them that we didn't tell," Carol was frantically trying to get up, but the pain was too much. She wanted to make sure that they knew that she wasn't weak and that the Governor couldn't find them.

"Shhh, Carol," Rick came over and knelt beside her with his hand on her shoulder, "the Governor wont find us thanks to you, but you need to calm down so we can get you home, alright?"

"Daryl?" Carol's voice came out as a squeaky croak, but it had Daryl at her side and gripping her hand in a heartbeat.

"Y'alright?" Daryl was inspecting every inch and working on covering her up since they didn't have much time to think about modesty while on the run. She was losing a lot of blood very fast and Daryl knew that they needed to get her back to Hershel as soon as possible.

Carol was not fully coherent yet and could only get out a few words, "Glenn…ok?"

Glenn moved to stand over her so that she could see his face, "We got out, Carol. We're going to get you back to Hershel and everything will be fine, ok?"

Daryl squeezed her hand in reassurance and started to whisper to her as Glenn and Rick moved back to begin the new discussion on Merle's future, "Thought I told ya to stay safe so I wouldn't have to come get ya."

"Run didn't go exactly as planned," she was cut off by a hacking cough, which made her wince and made Daryl immediately get behind her to help her sit up and give her an arm to squeeze through the pain.

"Knew you'd be pissed, but some man decided to get in my way and I let him push me around again. Think I should know better by now, huh?," Carol tried to brush off the violence that she had been subjected to, but Daryl was having none of it.

"That fucker aint gonna be alive much longer, so he wont be a problem anymore," Daryl's growl was extremely serious, yet soft as he held her in his arms and re-tied new scraps of shirt around her arm. The blood was soaked through completely and they needed fresh bandages soon, but Glenn and Merle were making it difficult to start moving.

"Didn't tell him anything. They got no idea about the prison or how many people we have," Carol's voice was getting softer and softer as the strength started to leave her body.

"Knew you weren't a burden," Daryl smiled at her, "see how fucking strong you are?"

Carol's eyelids were getting really heavy, but she shakily raised her hand to his face and smiled.

"Don't you dare fall asleep on me, woman," he lifted her so that her back was right against his chest and she was sitting straight, "Lil' Asskicker needs her Aunt Carol to come and feed her 'cause as great as Beth is, she aint no mom yet."

"I'll be fine," she sleepily smiled up at him, "I've felt like shit before and I didn't have you to carry me then."

Daryl Dixon, in a rare display of affection, laughed and placed the lightest of kisses on Carol's head as he finished patching her up and moved to stand with her in his arms once again.

"Well hell, Glenn, looks like you weren't shittin' me after all," Merle's voice made Daryl shift his focus from Carol to the rest of the group and he was now painfully aware that everyone had seen the little moment that he and Carol had shared.


	6. Relationship?

Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are amazing! I wish I was in control of this show so that I could make Caryl canon for you!

* * *

"Looks like my baby brother got himself a lady friend," Merle was smirking at the little scene before him.

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl knew that his face was red, but the growing red patch on Carol's arm was making him too nervous to care, "we gonna get out of here any time soon or what?"

Rick came towards Daryl and placed his fingers on Carol's neck to make sure that her heart was still beating, "We know we've got to move fast, Daryl. The car is not far from here and we should be back at camp soon, but there is still the problem of what to do with your brother."

"I barely laid a hand on her, Daryl," Merle's arms were raised and he was pleading with his brother at this point, "I did what I had to. Knew you'd come lookin' for her once the chinaman said she was your woman, so I bought them some time."

"Bullshit!" Glenn didn't believe any of this, "You almost killed me and let that bastard shoot Carol after you let him beat her. You could've stopped him, but you did nothing!"

"You need to shut your mouth, boy" Merle was getting angry, but all he wanted was to be with his brother and it was becoming clear that all that his brother wanted was the woman in his arms.

"Take him with us for now," Maggie spoke up, "We can lock him up once we're back and decide what to do with him for sure. For now, we've got to move."

"Maggie's right, we've got to go" Rick sighed and turned to Merle, "you turn on one of us and the others will kill you and leave you for the walkers before you can blink, understood?"

Merle nodded and moved so that he was at Daryl's side for the walk to the car.

* * *

Carl was at the gate when the group arrived back and Rick jumped out to greet his son while waving the others on up towards the prison.

"You livin' in a prison lil' brother?" Merle was shocked that the prison looked to be safe. The Governor had wanted the prison, but the sheer number of walkers in the yard and cells made it more trouble than it was worth, so they had abandoned the idea.

"The Governor's gonna be pissed" Merle was the only one talking in the car as they approached the cell block, "wanted this place for himself a while back. Pretty damn impressive that you lot managed to clear it out."

"Yeah it is, so watch your mouth cause clearly we're all stronger than you remember," Glenn's voice was still strained, but the death glare that he was sending Merle was enough to make his threat credible.

Daryl was ignoring everything around him except for Carol's unsteady breathing and the second that the car stopped, he jumped out and ran for the cell block.

"Hershel!"

"Daddy!"

Daryl and Maggie's voices blended together and echoed out over the prison walls, but Hershel was hopping as fast as he could towards one of the lower cells and he was yelling directions as he got closer.

"Maggie grab my bag," Hershel quickly assessed Carol and Glenn to determine where to start, "Lay her down, I need to check her first," Daryl laid Carol down on the nearest cot, "How long has she been out? Any injuries to her head that you know of?"

Glenn was the only one who could really speak about her injuries, "I can't think of anything that would cause a concussion, but she was alone with the Governor and I don't know what he might have done".

"Some of these scars are pretty old," Hershel had heard of Carol's not so perfect home life, but had never seen the evidence, "always knew she was a strong one."

Daryl's fists clenched and all he wanted to do was punch a wall, or better yet, put an arrow right through the Governor's eye then bring Ed back to kill him again. He had to settle for pacing the floor and nervously chewing on his fingernails as Hershel worked.

"I think she should pull through this just fine," Hershel was talking to everyone, but was staring right at Daryl as he explained Carol's situation, "She's lost a lot of blood and that is what caused her to pass out. I set her ribs and she needs to stay off of her feet for a bit, but I think that she'll recover."

Rick approached with his handcuffs out and Daryl went stiff, "Wadda ya need those for? Doc said she's gonna be fine!"

Rick sighed, "Daryl, you know we can't be too careful these days. It's just a precaution and she will understand when she wakes up," he looked over at Carol's still form and smiled, 'hell she'd probably be pissed at us if we didn't cuff her and you know it."

Daryl merely nodded with an angry huff and sat on the cot near her feet.

* * *

Merle was locked in a cell right across from where all of the action was happening with Carol and he didn't take his eyes off of his brother the entire time.

Daryl only stopped his pacing when Carol would make a sound of distress during Hershel's examination and once he knew she was alright, he would resume. Merle had never seen his brother act this way before and knew that the little woman whom he had inadvertently hurt was going to be a changing factor in his relationship with his brother.

"Glenn you need to take it easy too, son," Hershel was looking Glenn over, but his bruises simply needed to heal on their own and Hershel could find no evidence of internal bleeding, so he was going to be alright.

"I need someone to keep an eye on her and let me know when she wakes up," Hershel was grabbing various medications from his medical kit, "she needs two of these pills right away," he handed them to Daryl and no one questioned the act as they all knew exactly who would be staying with her.

"Just keep her warm and make sure her pulse stays strong," Hershel rose and began to hobble away with Maggie and Glenn by his side, "if anything goes wrong come and get me right away."

Everyone began to file out of the cell and Daryl stayed behind where he slowly inched his way closer to Carol.

"You keep a good eye on her little brother," Merle's voice drifted across the cell block and Daryl jumped from his spot and moved to stand in the doorway, "maybe keep her warm with a little body heat, hmm?"

He made a lewd gesture, but was quickly silenced by Rick, Glenn and Hershel who moved into the cell to have a talk with their newest group member.

Daryl moved to put up the sheets over the cell that the group used for privacy. Though he was quite aware that everyone knew of his and Carol's…relationship? Yes, it was a relationship. He decided that though their feelings were clear, he didn't need them on display at such a crucial time, so the sheets went up.

Daryl moved to sit on the cot and grasp her hand, "You better wake up now, ya understand?"

Daryl Dixon was not a big talker and was definitely not big on showing his emotions, but this woman had changed him. The moment that her daughter went missing, both of their lives changed forever.

Daryl had never had anyone trust him with much, but Carol had placed every ounce of trust that she had in the scary redneck whose voice had softened when he told her of the clear trail that her daughter had left behind.

Since he had taken the lead on finding Sophia, he gained Carol's trust and she began to see through the rough exterior and see the boy who had been lost in the woods himself, but who had no one looking for him.

She was the reason that he came back to the group after Sophia's death. He had tried to drift away, but Carol dragged him back by showing that she cared and since then, they had only grown closer.

Daryl was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Carol begin to blink slowly as she woke up, "handcuffed to the bed, hmm? And you've got the sheet up and everything" her voice was groggy, but was strong enough to grab Daryl's attention, "are you planning on having your way with me, Mr. Dixon?"

"Pretty sure tha's what everyone else is thinkin' right now," Daryl chuckled as he moved closer and helped her into sitting position on the cot while unlocking her from the cuffs. Once she was comfortable, Daryl scooted closer so that their sides were pressed together and placed two pills in her hand.

"Hershel said to take these when ya woke up," Carol simply nodded and swallowed the pills with no problem and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"What happened to Merle?"

Carol's question stunned Daryl for a minute, "He's here. I think they're deciding what to do with him now."

"He didn't do anything," Carol was trying to get up, but Daryl kept her down, "We need to go so I can tell them. The only reason he took us is because we wouldn't bring him to you and then he beat up Glenn because he wouldn't give him any information."

Carol sighed, "Obviously Glenn doesn't want him here and I think it will take a lot of convincing, but Merle could be an asset! He has military experience and knows the workings of Woodbury. We need to be prepared because the Governor is not going to let us go this easily and he is going to be fully armed when he finds us."

"Take it easy," Daryl kept her sitting on the cot, "I think Glenn is honestly more concerned bout what happened to you than getting' the shit beat outta him. Merle hasn't exactly been makin it easy for anyone 'round here to want him to stay."

"Let me go talk to them," Carol tried to move again, but Daryl kept her on the cot.

"Take yer time, Merle ain't going anywhere and you've been though hell," he moved closer again so that her head was resting on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a little while and could hear arguing coming from Merle's cell, followed by retreating footsteps and lots of cell doors clanging shut.

"Glenn told Merle that I'm your woman, did ya know that?" Carol chuckled as Daryl seemed to do a double take.

"Apparently everyone but us is perfectly aware of our relationship," she turned to look him in the eye, "Did you know we were in a relationship?"

Daryl looked down at her and smirked, "course I did. We just ain't taken it to another level yet, so maybe you were confused" he kissed her on the forehead and Carol was completely shocked.

They always spoke openly with each other, but this topic had never been explored; other than jokes about screwing around. Those jokes always lead to laughter and nothing more, but now it seemed that maybe her feelings weren't as one-sided as she thought.

"So when does this next level happen?" Carol tried to lean in, but put pressure on her bandaged arm and slipped a little. Daryl immediately grabbed her and she ended up in his lap, which was perfectly fine with her.

Daryl Dixon liked to pretend that he was tough, but when it came to women, well this woman in particular, he was as awkward as a teenager on his first date. The banter had grown easier, but actions were different than words and kissing her on the forehead was not the same as kissing her properly.

"It can happen whenever…"

Daryl was cut off as his brother's voice came blaring through the cell block, "Ya givin' it to her good little bro?"

Daryl dropped his forehead to her shoulder and groaned as his brother's chuckles reverberated off of the walls.


	7. Old Friends

Author's note: loving all the reviews, faves and follows! You guys are the best! The next update might be a bit longer, work is crazy, but I've been attacked by Caryl feels because of the Season 4 trailer, which was completely AMAZING! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Daryl moved the sheet from the cell and looked across at his smirking brother, "Be quick about it Darylina, we gotta gear up 'cause the Governor don't like people touching his things and we got a world of hurt comin."

Daryl and Carol moved out of the cell and towards Merle, who was still locked inside. "He doesn't know where we are Merle, we have some time to prepare," Carol was up and facing Merle, "in case you don't remember, Glenn didn't give you any information and I didn't give the Governor anything either."

Merle stared at the bruised woman at his brother's side. She was shaky, but her voice was strong as she looked right into his eyes. Not a lot of people looked Merle in the eyes while talking to him, but this little woman seemed to have no problem dealing with him.

"Well mouse, that don't mean he ain't lookin for y'all right now and according to Officer Friendly's kid, a group just left your little prison and could be on their way right to his door. That ninja you got with ya went into his apartment and messed him up pretty bad and he ain't the forgiving type, so I'd be getting ready for war if I was you."

"We heard ya the first time, Merle," Rick came around the corner with most of the others right behind, "Michonne told us about the heads that he kept in fish tanks. He had walkers and humans," a solemn look came over Rick's face, "she also told us that Andrea is alive and in Woodbury."

Carol's heart began to beat furiously and her breathing became a little labored, "we've got to get her out. She can't have survived all of these months to die by that psycho. We need to go."

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder, "she hasn't been taken, Carol. She's _with_ the Governor, Michonne said that she has no idea how unhinged he really is."

Carol had no idea who Michonne was, but by process of elimination she located the fierce looking woman with the very large sword. Assuming that this was Merle's 'ninja' she decided to question further, "What happened? Merle said you did something."

"Carol right?" Michonne had a way of speaking to you that made it seem like she was angry most of the time. At Carol's nod she continued, "Did he happen to mention his daughter to you while he was…questioning you."

From her softer tone Carol could tell that she knew exactly what kind of questioning took place, "Yes. He mentioned his daughter, Penny, when he found out that I was a mother."

Carol didn't want to see that man ever again, but her mind flashed back to that cold room and how happy he got when he realized that she was a mother.

He told her that there were children in Woodbury and mentioned his own daughter, _"Penny's quite lonely around here. There are other kids, but no girls around her age. I bet your little girl and my Penny would be great friends. You stop this brave act and help your daughter grow up right."_

_He got extremely close to her while talking of his daughter, "Penny's a great little girl, even after all of this. You'd love her."_

Carol remembered thinking that he wanted her to become a mother-figure for Penny and now she could only imagine what that little girl must be going through.

"He wasn't violent until I told him about Sophia being bitten and me not being able to shoot her myself," Daryl's arm was around her during this talk and at the mention of Sophia, his arm tightened immediately as he knew she needed the support.

She gave a small nod to Rick and fought back the couple of tears that always managed to surface when she brought up her daughter.

"His daughter is dead. He kept her bound with a straightjacket and hidden in a closet, but she had been a walker for a while," Michonne was speaking to Daryl and Carol as she had already told the others of the situation, "I found her with a bag over her head and thought that she was alive, but when I tried to save her, she attacked, so I had to kill her."

Everyone merely nodded their heads in response. A walker was a walker and these days it was kill or be killed, child or not.

"Governor came in and saw what I did," She looked straight at Carol, "If you thought he was a psycho before, he just got worse. I managed to get him in the eye before I ran out to meet back up with the group. Andrea had a gun on me before I left and she ran right to him. Chose a bed over a friend."

"So now he got no kid, only one eye and you shot up his town," Merle stared at Michonne with a smirk on his face, "he's gonna kill you first and then he's gonna pick us off one by one. Probably take your daughter for his own, Officer Friendly."

Rick's face contorted in anger and Carl held his little sister closer as Merle continued, "He's definitely gonna want to kill Glenn and then he'll probably take little mouse too and keep her for himself. Ya'll need me if you want to survive the rage that he is gonna bring."

Daryl's anger was rising and at the mention of the Governor taking Carol, he snapped, "That motherfucker is not getting any of us. We got enough shit in here to make this place a fortress. I suggest we get started."

* * *

The group split apart and began to fortify all of the weak points that they could find, but while they were working, they noticed two figures coming towards the prison gates. Rick grabbed his binoculars and noticed the familiar blonde head of Andrea and what appeared to be a walker standing at the gates.

"Let me in!" Andrea was roughly hauled in passed the gate and pushed up against a fence to be patted down for weapons.

"Rick, it's me!"

"Are you alone?" At her lack of response he continued, "We know you're with the Governor, so are you alone?"

"Yes, yes I'm alone! I didn't even know you were here until the shootout and Phillip said that Merle's brother showed up. I met a group in the woods who said that there was a group in the prison, so I figured that I'd try my luck."

Carl looked up at his Dad, "Must've been Tyreese's group after they left."

"Fuck" Rick bowed his head and ran his fingers across his face, "the means the Governor may know where we are. If Tyreese's group made it to Woodbury, we need to get ready."

"I told them how to get to Woodbury, they said that they were headed there," Andrea didn't know what damage she may have inflicted on her friends.

She was welcomed into the prison, though it was anything but a warm welcome. Carol saw her enter from her cell door where she and Hershel were discussing her arm and she ran down to meet her friend.

"After you saved me, we thought you were dead," they embraced and refused to let go for a few minutes, "I'm so sorry!"

"I would've done the same thing. It was too dangerous to turn back" as they moved back from each other, Andrea noticed the bandaged arm and the bruises, "What happened?" It was then that she noticed Hershel's leg, "my god, Hershel!"

He explained how he had gotten bitten and had it amputated right away, but Carol stayed quiet as she knew of Andrea's involvement with Woodbury.

"Where's Lori, T and Shane?"

Rick glared at her, "they didn't make it."

Andrea's devastation was clear, and she knew that the loyalty that she once felt with these people was gone and now that she had been with Phillip, she was against her family. These people had been through the ringer and they were not about to trust someone who trusted a man that had taken their family members and tortured them.

"How's your boyfriend?" the rough growl of Daryl Dixon came from the shadows and the man emerged to walk straight towards Carol.

"He's not my boyfriend. I didn't even know that you were in Woodbury until I was told that Merle left with his brother and a group. I came as soon as I could," she turned to look at the bruised Carol and Glenn, "I swear I didn't know you were there."

"Lot of good that did 'em ain't it?" Merle joined the conversation, "Did ya know that your boyfriend was fuckin' you then going downstairs and makin' your friend strip for him before he beat her?"

Andrea's gasp was enough to answer the question and she quickly turned to Carol, who currently had her face pressed to Daryl's shoulder as he glared at his brother, "Carol I…" but she didn't even know what to say.

"Time for some meds," Daryl wrapped an arm around Carol and led her away from the rest of the group as they continued to fill Andrea in on the past few months.

Daryl led Carol back to her cell and though he was happy to know that Andrea is alive, he was too angry about her ties with the Governor to care about anything else at the moment.

"She couldn't tell," Daryl looked down as Carol's head came off of his shoulder and she moved to sit on the cot, "as soon as he walked in the room, I could tell that he was a sick bastard, but she couldn't tell."

Daryl sat next to her, "she ain't never dealt with a guy like that before."

He gave her a couple painkillers, which dulled the throbbing in her arm and the ache in her ribs as they listened to the arguments coming from the cell block. They sat in silence as Daryl grabbed his arrows from the floor and began sharpening.

Carol was leaning against his shoulder and the steady rhythm of his knife striking the arrowheads lulled her into a nap. She woke up to the feeling of a kiss being placed on top of her head and Daryl advising her that it was her shift to watch Lil' Asskicker and his shift for watch.

He helped her up from the cot and as they parted ways in the door he nervously leaned towards her and placed a kiss on her lips. It was still a new thing for both of them, but Carol happily responded and wrapped her arm around his neck to press him closer.

"I'll meet you back up here after your shift," Carol placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him softly again before walking down the hall and out of sight.

Rick was gently rocking Judith in his arms as he paced the floor of his cell, "Auntie Carol is here, so give Daddy a kiss before he goes to fortify our home."

Rick laughed at the childish voice that Carol always used when Judith was around and handed his daughter off to his friend.

"Andrea is leaving soon. She is talking about setting up a meeting with the Governor, but we both know that it isn't going to work. I'm gonna give her a gun, just in case."

Carol was holding Judith with her good arm as she walked out of the cell with Rick, "she is trying to create one big community, but you and I both know that this guy is too unhinged for any sort of compromise. Her intentions are good, but that man is too far gone to work with us."

Rick nodded, "she wants me to meet with him, but I don't know who I can trust anymore. How do I know that he won't send a group here to kill everyone while I'm off talkin'?"

"We have to trust Andrea," Carol knew that Andrea was a smart woman and that she felt safe in Woodbury, but she could end this and Carol would make sure that she knew how easily peace could come to both groups.


	8. You Can End This

Authour's note: Update came a little early! I was going to update this weekend, but instead i'm headed to a Barenaked Ladies concert and I fear the hangover may make it hard to write haha Thank you all bunches for the support by way of reviews, faves and follows! Carylers are the best...not so much Caryl in this chapter, but there will be more next chapter, I promise!

* * *

As she walked through the cell block with Judith resting against her shoulder, Carol drifted to memories of Sophia. Carol and Lori had talked about motherhood numerous times during their months on the road and Lori's concerns were very clear in those moments.

"_If I don't make it…"_

"_Don't talk like that, you know that we're all going to take care of you," Carol placed an arm around her friend as they sat on the cot._

"_We have no proper medical gear, Carol," Lori rubbed her stomach, "I know the risks and I want you to promise me that you'll help Rick and don't let Carl forget the good in the world."_

"_You know that I would do anything for them, Lori" Carol held her hand, "I'll be there to help deliver this one, and then I will help raise him or her as if it was my own. We're a family now."_

But she hadn't been there and that thought had been weighing on her mind since the night of the attack. What if she had been the one to run into the boiler room with Lori? Maybe she could have done something to help ensure her survival, but instead she had almost died herself.

Lori had made Carol promise to take care of Judith and Carl and she Carol would not break that promise. She tried to remind Carl of how much his mother loved him and how proud she would be, but Carl was getting harder to reach.

"Auntie Carol will never let anything happen to you, Asskicker," Carol kissed the baby's forehead and laughed, "Oh God, your mother would kill me if she knew your nickname."

Judith was happily squirming and looking up at Carol from her make-shift crib when Andrea came to say goodbye.

"Couldn't let you leave without getting to meet Lil' Asskicker," Carol smiled as she picked Judith up.

"Let me guess, Daryl named her?" at Carol's nod and laugh, Andrea accepted the wiggly baby girl and gently rocked her.

"Her name is Judith."

Andrea was playing with Judith's fingers and looked as if she was filled with hope for the future by simply being in the presence of the little girl, "What happened?"

Carol frowned, "We were attacked by walkers and had to split up. Maggie led Lori and Carl inside, but Lori went into labour and before anyone else could reach them she had to deliver."

Carol ran her hand through her slowly growing hair, "Hershel taught me the steps, but I was with T in another part of the prison, so Maggie had to perform a C-section. Carl had to…" she trailed off as Andrea grasped the idea and shook her head in shock.

"What about Shane?"

"Rick killed him," Carol had nothing but respect for Rick after everything that he'd gotten them through over the past few months, "Shane tried to kill Rick, but Rick got him first. Rick has gotten us so much further than I ever thought he would, and I'm angry at myself for ever doubting him."

"Rick has become unhinged," Andrea actually looked a little scared as she looked at the condition of her former family.

"He has his reasons, we all do" Carol sighed, "We're going to be fine, Andrea. We have each other, but you need to do something about the Governor."

"I'm trying, Carol. They're talking about war, but you've lost so much already! He has a whole town, this wont end well. Rick just needs to sit down with Phillip and work something out."

Carol shook her head sadly and lifted her shirt to show her bandaged ribs and gestured to her arm and the remaining bruises on her face, "Does this look like the work of a man who is going to listen to reason?"

Andrea tried to make excuses but Carol cut her off, "I don't blame you, Andrea. He is handsome and charming and I'm the last person to lecture you about abusive men, I fell for it too. You need to sleep with him, give him the best night of his life and when he is sleeping, you can end this."

Andrea look completely shocked at the plan that had come out of Carol's mouth, what had happened to the meek mother that she knew from camp?

"A man like the Governor needs to be taken by surprise, and by killing him before a war breaks out, you can protect the innocents of Woodbury and your family here."

Andrea stayed silent as Carol gestured for Judith back, "I'm glad you're safe, but that man is trouble. You were part of this family before and can be part of it again, we all love you and want you back, but we aren't going to work with the Governor."

Carol shifted to get a good hold on Judith with her good arm before slipping silently down the stairs with one final smile at Andrea.

* * *

Andrea had left the day before and so far, no word from Woodbury. The prison group was gearing up and leaving no area unprotected as they awaited the retaliation that was sure to be coming.

Carol was loading the weapons when she noticed Merle enter the room, "Lookin' good, Mouse."

"Would you stop calling me that?" she snapped as she jammed another bullet into a clip.

Merle raised his arms in surrender, "sarry, darlin'" he stopped halfway down the stairs, "just noticing that you're healin' up real good. Old guy knows his shit, eh?"

Carol rotated her shoulder and stretched her arm. The wound was healing nicely, but she always did heal quite fast. She never saw it as a blessing before, just a reason for Ed to give fresh bruises, but now that danger could come any day, she was glad to have the use of both arms. It wasn't at full strength, but at least she could hold a gun and not be a burden on her family.

"Are you with us?" Carol had no time for Merle's bullshit, she needed to know if he was going to be a liability or not, "are you going to fight with us or are you just here to cause trouble?"

"I'm here for my brother."

"Well he's here for us, and if you do anything to put him in danger or anyone else that I care about, I'll sneak up like the little mouse that you think I am and slit your throat."

Carol's voice was deadly quiet and Merle found himself chuckling, "damn, darlin'" he moved down the stairs and came to stand directly in front of her, "my brother sure knows how to pick em, don't he?"

Carol didn't back down from his stare as he kept talking, "Daryl ain't a man of many words, but that dumbass loves ya and he ain't gonna leave this prison long as you're here," Merle slowly took the loaded clip from Carol's hands, "so that means you're family, mouse, and I protect my family, so if that means I gotta fight with Officer Friendly and the whole gang, then I guess tha's what's gonna happen."

He reached around Carol, picked up a gun from the table, loaded the clip and carefully placed it in the waistband of his pants, "you're gonna survive this world, mouse. You're a late bloomer."

Carol smirked up at Merle, "maybe you are too."

Merle simply chuckled at her and walked out of the room. He knew what he had to do to protect his brother and his woman and he knew that he might die doing it. The Governor might give them a chance as long as they weren't keeping him from getting his revenge on Michonne and no one at this prison had the balls to do what needed to be done to ensure their survival.

To ensure Daryl's survival and to let whatever love was between him and Carol grow.

Merle had never seen Daryl act the way that he did when he was around that woman and he knew that his baby brother deserved to be loved, so he would do everything in his power to make sure that he had the chance.

Even if he didn't make it back.


	9. Sleeping Safe

Author's Note: Blah blah, I own nothing or Caryl would be cannon :) Thank you for the reviews, faves and alerts!

* * *

Carol slowly walked up the stairs to the guard tower balancing two meager plates of food in one hand. She saw Daryl standing out on the ledge, looking towards the road, "Anything interesting today?"

He turned and gave her a rare Dixon smile before grabbing a plate, "Nah, nothing cept the usual geeks roaming about."

"Andrea hasn't come back, so I think it's safe to assume that there is going to be a peaceful resolution," Carol grabbed the binoculars and looked hopefully out to the woods, "I just hope she's alright."

Daryl licked his fingers clean and laid his plate on the floor before coming up behind her and placing his arms around her waist, "woman knows how to handle herself. We just gotta keep an eye out for what's coming our way and hope that she comes back in one piece."

Carol nodded and leaned back into his chest, "Merle seems to be getting along with everyone so far."

"He knows that he can't start a fight or he'll be out on his ass," Carol could feel his chest rumbling from a chuckle that he tried to hide, "think it's pissin' him off, honestly. But he wants that Governor dead. Told me he seen a lot, lots of innocents getting killed and that don't sit well with Merle."

"He'd do anything for you," Carol quietly joined in, "including beating the shit out of Glenn. He thought Glenn would crack really fast and he'd be able to find you right away, but Glenn's way tougher now," she turned to look up at Daryl, "we all are."

"Merle can fit in here. We just got to give him a chance. I've forgiven him and I think Glenn is angrier about what happened to me than being beat up," she smiled as she looked into the courtyard and saw Merle, Glenn and Rick talking, "we can protect this place. This can be our home."

* * *

The Governor would not listen to Andrea's pleas for a peaceful resolution and when she expressed her anger at his recent actions, she found herself strapped to a chair with no hopes of getting free.

She just wanted to help people.

When Andrea met Philip, she didn't see the bad and that brought her down this path. She honestly thought that this town and her old family at the prison could live peacefully. All that they needed to do was work out a resolution that would leave both sides happy.

Why did they have to fight over territory? They were far enough away that they could scout for supplies on opposite ends if they truly didn't want to mingle.

Andrea's high hopes would cause her death and she knew that Tyreese and his group had already told the Governor everything that he needed to go after her friends.

Tyreese and his group had informed the Governor about the people at the prison and they did not know what the consequences of their actions would be. Tyreese was a smart man and knew that, even though they had kicked his people out of the prison without reason, they were good people. As the Governor walked out of the room with a twisted smile on his face, Tyreese felt like the little group might not survive much longer.

* * *

Carol and Daryl stayed together on watch for the night and found themselves holding hands or occasionally sharing a few innocent kisses. No danger came that night and when Rick and Michonne came to relieve them from duty, they retired to Carol's cell.

A laundry basket in the corner of the cell proved to be useful when Daryl grabbed a clean pair of boxers, "gonna start moving some of my shit in here," Daryl placed his crossbow in the corner and put the privacy sheet up on the cell.

His nonchalant comment shocked Carol. They had always been close, but recently they had started…well she didn't know what to call it really, dating sounded juvenile and he certainly would not want to called a boyfriend. They were just there for each other and that happened to involve a bit of making out, but she knew Daryl hated the cells and preferred not to sleep in a cage.

Carol found the pair of shorts and a tank top that she usually used as pajamas and placed them on the bed, "Who said that I want to share my room with a dirty boy?"

Daryl chuckled as he came forward and hooked his fingers through the belt loops of her pants, "Who you callin' a boy?

Since coming so close to losing Carol, Daryl discovered that he could not waste his time with his shyness anymore. He needed to let her know exactly how he felt and he needed to make sure that every minute that they could spend together, would be spent together. No one knew how long that they would be around anymore, but Daryl and Carol would be spending it together,

Carol laughed and placed her hand on his chest, "Alright then, who said I want to share my room with a smelly, dirty, man?"

She was immediately picked up and tossed gently onto the cot, "I ain't smelly, got a fantastic woman that does my laundry."

They both laughed as he slowly crawled over her and leaned down for a kiss, "I think I could learn to live with it," she looked up as he stood to remove his jeans in preparation for bed, "oh, I could definitely get used to this," she tilted her head to enjoy the view.

"Now who's the dirty one, eh?" he hauled on some raggedy pajama bottoms and removed his shirt as Carol did the same. As she was taking off her shirt, she gave a slight grimace and uttered a quiet "fuck," as her bad arm was jarred.

Daryl was at her side in an instant and removed her shirt while gently holding her arm, "Ya gotta watch it, Hershel said that it was almost good as new, but it ain't gonna heal if ya hurt it again."

"Sorry," she looked down at the bandage that still encompassed her torso, "I tend to forget about my injuries. When Ed would do something I would try and act as normal as I could so Sophia wouldn't worry," she didn't think she would ever be able to say her baby's name without her eyes becoming misty, "guess old habits die hard, huh?"

Daryl helped her into her shirt and they lay down together on the cot. Daryl was on his back and he gently wrapped his arm around Carol to pull her to his chest, "Yup," she sighed contently.

"Huh?" Daryl looked down to where her head was placed on his chest and she looked up, smiling.

"I could get used to this, even though you do smell horrid," his chest vibrated with chuckles as he kissed the top of her head.

"We all smell gross. Go to sleep, woman. Got a long day tomorrow."

Neither had gone to sleep feeling this safe in a very long time. Daryl had a string of one-night stands, but none that he would wrap in his arms and hold during the night. Carol used to feel safe with Ed, until the first hit. After that, she slept very lightly and would do everything possible to not touch him in her sleep.

Lying together in the dark cell brought a much needed sense of peace to the weary couple. No need to be on the lookout for walkers, no hunting, or cooking, or worries about the Governor plagued them as they lay together on their cot. They simply managed to finally get some sleep that was not plagued by nightmares for the first time since the world became broken.


	10. Up to Something

Author's Note: Got my Walker head fish tank blu rays! Yayy! As always, thanks for the reviews, faves and alerts! I love you all and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

A crying baby was a blessing and a curse in this world and Judith certainly knew how to vocalize her needs. Had they still been on the road, they would be in constant fear of drawing walkers, but the relative safety of the prison was just what they needed while baby asskicker was at this young and innocent age.

Carol always woke first when Judith began to whimper and made her way to comfort the cries that would quickly follow. As strong as Carl had become, it was still very easy to Carol to enter his cell and quietly get Judith without waking him up. No one had been woken up by Jude's cries since her birth because Carol was always there to calm her down. For the past week Carol had been finding it especially difficult to get out of bed.

Since Daryl had moved into her cell, she found herself wrapped in strong, protective arms every morning and that was very hard to leave. No matter how they fell asleep together, she would wake with Daryl pressed against her back and his arms engulfing her.

As Judith's cries slowly became louder, Carol knew that she had to get up or everyone would be abruptly roused from sleep. She gently wiggled her way out of the cocoon and watched as Daryl rolled over with a grunt, but didn't wake up.

"Hey baby girl," Carol gently took Judith from her bed and after a slow walk through the hallways she returned to her shared cell.

As she looked at the still sleeping Daryl she couldn't imagine a better moment. Even after everything that she has been trough, she would not trade this moment for the world. He looked so calm and peaceful when he slept and she wished he could look this way more often, but the stress of everyday made everyone constantly worry.

Baby Judith's attention turned to her Uncle Daryl and the little girl began to squeal with delight.

"The fuck?" Daryl rolled over at the sound of baby Judith and was instantly awake and sitting up in bed.

"Watch your language around little ears!" Carol scolded, but she was laughing as she spoke. It was maternal instinct to want your child to grow up with good influences, but in this world, Judith would be hearing lots of swearing and there wasn't any way around it.

She internally apologized to Lori, because at this rate, Judith's first word would be 'fuck' or 'walkers' instead of Mom or Dad. They still had a long time before the little girl would start to talk, but Carol knew that she was absorbing everything around her. Carol hoped that Rick would get to hear his little girl call him Dad, but you just never knew in this world. One thing was certain and that was that Carol would do anything to ensure that Judith grew up with her Dad and brother. She made a promise and she intended to keep it.

This is why they couldn't allow the prison to fall so easily. A large space that could be fortified and become a home and a safe haven for Judith to grow up is not something that can easily be given up.

"Someone wanted to say good morning to her Uncle Daryl," Carol walked over and sat on the cot. As soon as Daryl was in reach, Judith began to reach for him and Daryl grabbed the little girl and held her close.

"Hey, Asskicker. You sure got a set of lungs on ya, huh?" The little girl was completely entranced by Daryl's voice and fell silent as he spoke.

Her little hands kept going for his hair and trying to chew on it, which Carol was quickly trying to put an end to, "No, no, Judith. Uncle Daryl's hair is icky, you don't want to put that in your mouth."

Daryl loved the sound of Carol's voice when she talked to Judith because it was the one time when she sounded truly happy, "My hair ain't icky!"

Daryl laughed as Carol ran her hands through his hair, "Well I beg to differ. I think someone needs to spend more time in the shower and less in the woods, right Asskicker?"

Judith's merely giggled in response, "Lil' Asskicker here wouldn't recognize us if we weren't constantly covered in dirt. I'm doin' it for her. Don't wanna confuse the poor thing."

"I don't think she'd even come near us if we were all clean-cut," Rick's voice came from outside the cell and the man appeared with his arms outstretched and ready to see his daughter.

"Good-morning," Rick's voice morphed completely when he spoke to Judith. He talked to her as if she was the most precious thing in the world and raising his voice could cause her to break. To Rick, Judith and Carl were the most precious things in the world and they were his chance for normalcy in this insane version of the world.

Judith was hope for everyone and you could see the effect that the little girl had on everyone whenever they were near her. It was as if everyone reverted to their pre-apocalypse selves when they were near Judith and the baby-talk and funny faces always helped to lighten the mood.

"We're going to start the courtyard today. Only a few more spots to reinforce and we should be ready for almost anything," the combination of war talk and slowly bouncing a giggly baby girl was a strange one, but had become commonplace since Judith had been born.

"I'm heading up on watch and I'm going to take Jude up with me. Glenn and Maggie are working on the front gate and could use your help, Daryl," Rick grabbed his keys and handed them to Carol, "Carol, you're one of the few people Merle seems to not fight with, would ya mind helpin' him out today?"

"I can go with Merle," Daryl tried to interject, but Carol shushed him quickly.

"Merle needs to know that we trust him and if he is constantly being supervised by you then he isn't going to feel remotely welcomed," Rick and Daryl couldn't argue with her logic, "Plus, there's something I need to ask him."

Rick left to start his watch, babbling to Judith as he went down the hall while Carol began loading her gun. Daryl went to grab his crossbow and turned to leave as well, but hesitated at the door. He quickly turned around, walked up to Carol and pulled her in for a long kiss.

Carol Peletier had never liked surprises very much. Most of the surprises that Carol had gone through were not pleasant ones and often left her on the ground nursing a wound, but this one left her weak-kneed and a little light headed in a very good way. Daryl stepped away, winked at the still stunned woman and simply walked out the door to begin his work on the prison gates.

Carol stood in the cell in silence for a few moments with a goofy grin on her face before finally snapping out of it and heading outside to begin her work.

* * *

"Merle, can you hand me that table?" Carol and Merle were working on making a safe area to withstand a shoot out, but Merle seemed distracted.

"This area looks pretty good, darlin'. Think you can finish by yourself while I head back inside?" It was very clear that Merle had something else on his mind and Carol wasn't going to let him go off on his own and potentially do something to mess up his place in the prison.

She trailed him deep into the prison where he seemed to have stockpiled some odd items, which made Carol glad that she had chosen to follow him.

"Merle, don't do something stupid. We need you in this fight and it's coming soon," Merle stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the little woman whom he was growing to like.

"You may have my brother pussy whipped, but don't think you can boss me around, missy," Carol ignored his temper and moved so that she was standing toe to toe with Merle.

"I'm not trying to boss you around, Merle, but I know when you're hiding something and you're about to do something dangerous," at Merle's look of doubt, Carol continued, "Don't deny it. You've got a nice bunch of wires here and I know they're not for anything good since you've hidden them."

"Damnit, woman. You couldn't just leave me alone could ya?" Merle wanted nothing more than to scare Carol away so that he could get on with his plan. He knew that the Governor may be placated if he could get revenge on Michonne, so Merle planned to deliver the woman and have a nice chat with his old friend. Merle wasn't dumb though and he was going to be armed and ready to take out as many of the Woodbury crew as he could.

"You remember what I told you Merle?" Carol was not backing down even as Merle flashed his bladed stump, "If you mess this up and hurt Daryl, I will slit your throat before you get the chance to do something stupid."

Merle just stood there with his cocky little grin and chuckled at her, "I told ya, darlin'. I'm not gonna do nothin' to hurt my brother and since you're shackin' up with him now, that makes ya family."

"I'm not fucking around, Merle" Carol raised her hand and grabbed the knife extension on his arm to pull him face to face, "I'm not just shackin' up with your brother, I love him and even though I can't stand you most of the time, I love you too and I don't think you realize what will happen to us if something happens to you."

Merle's face registered pure shock. His baby brother had a good woman that loved him and the little spitfire seemed to love ole' Merle too. No one had ever told Merle that he was loved and he found himself struck silent at the declaration.

"Are you listening to me?" Carol shook the stump and her angry face shifted to one of compassion, "I'd rather kill you myself and explain that to Daryl than have you going off to do something stupid or heroic. We really do need you, Merle. Daryl needs you and I need you. You know what's coming, you're a helluva shot, and I know you might not think it, but you're a good, brave man and we need you here."

"Aww shit, little sis," Merle was just trying to keep them safe, but perhaps the way that he was going about it was all wrong, "I'm sorry, alright? I ain't gonna do nothin', so lets go finish the damn front gate, ok?"

Carol knew that Merle was alright for now, but she was going to be keeping a close eye on him from now on. The Governor was heavily armed and out for revenge and though the prison would be able to withstand quite a beating, they needed every able body for this fight. Merle knew how the Governor thought and Merle was a damn good shot, probably one of the best that they had.

Carol grabbed the bag of old telephone parts and wires, "I'm just going to get rid of this first," Merle rolled his eyes, "then I'll meet you out by the gate so we can finish."

"Alright, missy," Merle smirked as Carol walked out ahead of him and he playfully slapped her on the ass, "but if my baby brother is up in that cell don't you go starting any funny business cause we got work to do."

He simply winked and sauntered away chuckling as Carol made her way back to the cell.

Damn Dixon men sure knew how to leave a room.


	11. Welcome to the Tombs

Author's note: This semester is actually going to kill me. Too many presentations and seminars and not enough time for naps. I will try my best to update as often as possible. I know once season 4 starts and I get some Caryl inspiration, more stories will start! Anyway, thanks for the reviews,alerts and faves! I love you all!

* * *

Waking up with a beautiful woman in his arms was something that Daryl Dixon had never done. He had had a couple of one night stands in his past, but nothing that compared to this.

Carol didn't take any of his shit. When he got angry, a simple hand on his arm could calm him down and make him realize that he no longer needed to be so defensive and withdrawn. She wouldn't let him pull away anymore and she was vital to the incorporation of Merle into the group. Daryl knew that this was solely for his benefit and even though Merle was turning out to be an asset, she would not be trying this hard if he wasn't blood.

Since the night that she had stood toe to toe with him on Hershel's farm and stared him in the eyes while he ripped her apart, he had watched her grow. She was on his radar from the moment that he witnessed the bruises back at the quarry, but after Ed died and she had taken the pickaxe from his hand, he saw the changes.

He snapped at Sophia and she stood up to him, a rough redneck with a crossbow. Then he had all but blamed her entirely for Sophia being dead and she stood her ground, even as he was lashing out. When he saw her chin raise in defiance as he cut her down, he knew that this woman would outlive most. She had lost everything, but had gained inner strength. She would never let another child get injured or go missing while she was around and she would ensure the safety of those whom she had grown to love.

Daryl had watched her evolve and he slowly realized that he loved this woman. His woman. They had joked about that title numerous times. Carol said that she had been owned for years and would never be owned again, but that isn't what Daryl meant.

His woman and her man, that's what they were. Not in an ownership sense, but as a way of completion. He needed her to be whole and he had never felt more stupid in hi entire life until he tried to explain this to Carol. Talking was not his strong suit, but with Carol, he managed to express what he meant.

They hadn't been apart since returning from Woodbury and death was the only thing that would separate them now.

The Governor was coming and Andrea was still missing. The prison was ready for an attack and now it was simply a waiting game.

He lightly traced the scar on her arm where the stitches had just been removed and knew that when the Governor showed up, he would not be leaving this prison alive.

* * *

From his place in the guard tower Daryl saw the trucks before anyone else, "We got company!"

He ran down the stairs as fast as he could to find everyone gearing up and Carol handing a sleeping Judith to Beth and going over the plan, "You know the drill. Stay with your father and Carl and don't come back in here until you hear from one of us first."

Rick was having the same conversation with Carl and it looked as though this decision was causing him physical pain. Carl was not happy about having to leave the prison during the fight, but Rick had managed to assure him that he was needed elsewhere. As young as he was, Carl could defend his sister better than most. Judith needed Beth and the young girl could hold her own, just not while holding little asskicker, and even though Hershel was nothing short of a badass, he could not fight here. Carl was the best decision to defend the others and he was slowly beginning to realize that.

As Hershel, Beth, Judith and Carl made their way out the back of the prison and into a planned safe zone, everyone else was starting to get into their positions. Daryl immediately went to Carol's side, "got your knife? Gun loaded? Why ain't you in the riot gear?"

"Daryl, stop!" She put her hands on his chest gently, "everything is going to be alright, I have everything, do you?" she was trying to reassure him that they would both get through this, but the weight of the situation was crashing down on everyone.

He grabbed Carol into a crushing hug, no longer worried about physical displays of affection. Everyone knew of their relationship by now, so Daryl kissed his woman and held her close before they both went to fight for their lives.

Maggie and Glenn were sharing light kisses in between a clearly personal conversation as they held each other close. Rick watched as his last two lifelines walked out the door and Carol felt an urge to hug him and reassure him that they would be completely safe, even if the rest of them would not.

Michonne, as per usual, opted to fight by herself and she left the room first as the small remaining group began to split up. Daryl had no desire to let Carol go off without him, but with a quick nod to Merle, he knew she would be safe. Carol placed a lingering kiss on his lips before turning to leave with Merle and giving Rick a quick hug on the way.

Rick and Daryl had become a well oiled machine and knew that in a fight like this, they would be front and center, fighting together to protect their family. The two men walked away, side-by-side to get in place.

* * *

Michonne had warned them of the tanks and of the machine guns that topped the trucks, so they had expected a full attack and had certain plans in place for just this occasion. Hershel's misguided attempt to keep those he loved safe, had given them the inspiration that they needed to keep their home safe.

The rocket launcher was something that they were not expecting.

The main guard tower was brought down quickly, but everyone stayed silent and in position. Thankfully the guard towers were not manned, but as it fell, the thought of a rebuild began to go through Glenn's mind. They were going to win, they had to.

The machine guns ripped apart the walkers that were in the front yard and then the military trucks tore through the fence. The Woodbury group scrambled out of their vehicles and began to search the prison, which they found empty, well, mostly empty.

After easily getting inside the prison, the Governor found the cells and kitchen area completely empty. He slowly made his way through the cells, noting anything that had been left behind, but all he found was a bible.

The Governor split his group in two to better search the prison. The ones who were not under the Governor's command found themselves in the lower levels, where Rick and Daryl had previously led a dozen walkers on snap-poles.

The strategically herded walkers worked perfectly at scaring the innocent members of Woodbury back outside. As soon as they were in the courtyard, Daryl and Rick began to open fire. The Woodbury men and women were taken by surprise and immediately retreated to their vehicles. These people weren't soldiers and had not signed on for a bloodbath. So without their terrifying leader, they simply fled.

When Rick and Daryl noticed that the Governor was not with the, now retreating, group, they took out the remaining walkers and ran to meet up with Carol and Merle on the other side.

* * *

"They split up," Carol whispered as she and Merle slowly followed the Governor.

"We's stickin' with this one," Merle had not taken his eyes off the enraged man since he had entered the prison and Carol knew that, should they meet face to face, it was unlikely that both men would survive.

Carol and Merle were right above the Governor and his group of fighters. They were being as quiet as possible as they slowly followed them towards another area where they knew that walkers were waiting to block their escape.

As they neared the exits, Carol and Merle each threw flash-bangs ad smoke bombs at the unsuspecting invaders that sent them into a frenzy. The walkers could barely be seen between the bursts of light and the smoky air, but that did not stop the Woodbury fighters from firing their weapons. This resulted in many casualties from friendly fire and caused Merle and Carol to give up their hiding spot in fear of being caught by a stray bullet.

Most of the group became scared and ran outside where they were immediately confronted by Maggie and Glenn and a barrage of bullets. They fled to their trucks in retreat with the Governor screaming at them from inside the prison.

Carol and Merle emerged from the smoke with their guns at the ready and began firing at walkers and humans alike. The Governor shot like a madman in order to give himself cover and retreat from the room.

He was not expecting the extra man power from Maggie and Glenn on the outside and took cover along with four of his most loyal. Each group had taken refuge behind some strategically placed barricades that the prison group had erected.

A standoff had begun.


	12. Gunshot

Author's note: I'm so sorry for the long wait! This semester is kicking my ass, but i'm headed out on my internship soon, so i'll actually have a little bit of time to write after work. Hopefully it wont take me this long again!

* * *

Phillip Blake was not a man that backed down from a fight. His pathetic soldiers had fled, but his little girl was dead and someone was going to pay for that. The odds were against him, but the odds were against everyone these days, and he wasn't exactly in his right mind.

His Penny deserved better, but maybe he could get another chance and Carol could help with that. She knew what it was like to lose a daughter and he was going to get his second chance at living the normal life that he deserved. He was the reason that the Woodbury folks barely knew of the biter plague. He was the reason that they got to have lemonade at picnics and let their children play with their dogs, so he was going to get his life back.

These people were about family and the Governor was going to use that family against them, "If you kill me, you're never gonna find your friend Andrea."

For a moment after the Governor's shout the bullets stopped and Rick's voice rang out through the yard, "How do we know you haven't already killed her?"

"Guess you'll just have to trust me," the silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity. No one was willing to let these men go and risk having them come back to attack all over again, but no one wanted to lose Andrea again.

"All you have to do is let one of my men get safely to a car and he is going to go back to Woodbury, get Andrea and bring her home to you nice folks, understand?"

Carol heard Merle's snort of indignation from beside her, "We just gonna sit here and chat while he goes on a little drive then?"

"These people are a family, Merle, they're gonna want her back. Did they not welcome you with open arms after you beat the shit outta two of em?" Glenn tensed, but shook off the taunts and nodded at Merle in understanding.

"Welcomed me enough to put a gun in my hand, so you best shut it 'fore I decide to kill ya'll and go find blondie myself."

The Governor merely chuckled, "Where's my little Carol, hmm? I'm sure she appreciated how you let me handle her interrogation. Remember how you said you didn't care about the mousey one? Told me to have some fun?"

Merle was seething. It had taken him a while to earn some trust from the prison group, especially Carol and Glenn and now this bastard was putting more doubt in their minds.

Carol closed her eyes and tightened her hold on her rifle as he continued, "How's the arm, Carol? I was hoping to get our Doctor to have a look at it, but you took off so fast I didn't get a chance. You know, you're welcome to come on back with me and we could start over in Woodbury. There's lots of orphans out there that could use proper raising, Carol. You could do for them what you couldn't do for your little girl."

Carol raised her gun and sent a swarm of bullets to rain down over the Governor's hiding place. She only stopped when a warm hand touched her shoulder, "Don't go letting him get to ya, little sister," Carol flinched away from the contact and Merle instantly dropped his hand.

Daryl was trying to get over to Carol. He knew that any shot at Sophia was going to cause her to lose her cool and he was right as he saw the barrage of bullets headed towards the invaders. He watched as she slowly moved away from Merle and placed her hands on her face to keep the tears at bay.

"Now, now Carol," The Governor's smooth voice rang out, "calm down, sweetheart. I thought we had some fun. I'm sure that Merle and his brother are taking good care of ya, but come on back to a proper life, hmm?"

Carol was seething and because she had rejected Merle's comfort, she found herself standing away from most of the group. Words are hard to hide from and she couldn't help but think of Sophia. Her baby deserved a better life, but there was nothing she could do except to remember her daughter as she was before she died. The Governor had held onto his daughter for too long and as much as she missed Sophia, the walker version would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Carol stayed silent as she heard Rick begin to yell a compromise for Andrea. She could see Daryl slowly making his way towards her, but right now she wanted to kill this bastard and be alone for a little while.

She was trying to ignore the digs coming from the Governor and as she stood near the gate, a figure on the outside caught her eye. There was a man with a gun headed towards the back of the prison, where Carl, Judith, Beth and Hershel were hiding. She could not get a clear shot though the fence, so with no thought, she tore off into the prison, hoping to cut off the man before he reached the hiding place.

* * *

Daryl had no idea what was happening.

One minute he was looking at a clearly distraught Carol and then the next she was gone. He knew that she wasn't handling the taunts very well, but he was hoping to reach her before she went off on her own.

He couldn't leave while the Governor and his men were still armed and too close for comfort, so he stomped over to Merle, "Why the fuck'd you let her go off on her own?"

"Calm down little brother. Little sis just needs some alone time," Merle failed to mention the flinch or that he had clearly seen tears forming in Carol's eyes before she had taken off.

Daryl knew that he should leave her alone for a little while, and at least she was inside the prison and wouldn't have to listen to the shit that the Governor was yelling. Rick and the rest of the prison group had slowly become closer and closer to each other and Daryl moved to be a part of the discussion.

"We can't leave Andrea again," everyone seemed to be in agreement with Rick on that issue.

"Well we can't just let one of those bastards run back to Woodbury!" Glenn was getting angry, "They could have more men just waiting!"

The group was beginning to split apart, but the yelling quickly came to an end when a gun shot rang out from the woods surrounding the prison.

"Carl!" Rick's gasp cut through everyone's heart as he started to run for the gate, but Daryl managed to stop him.

"What seems to be the problem, folks?" The Governor's cheery voice caused Rick's anger to heighten and he retaliated with another barrage of bullets.

"Carl and Hershel's guns have silencers and Beth only has her knife" Rick was panting at this point and trying to wrench himself from Daryl's grasp, "someone is out there with my family!"

Daryl didn't know what to do. Carol was off on her own and everyone else was starting to panic. The Governor was yelling and starting to get impatient, "This is getting a little tedious isn't it? Let's just face each other like men, shall we?"

Phillip Blake had heard the gunshot and knew that his man was scouting the woods for a back entrance. He assumed that a straggler had been found and taken care of and was waiting for the inevitable bloodbath that would occur when his man snuck up on the now squabbling group.

What he didn't expect was the barrel of a gun to be pressed into the back of his head and the quietly deadly voice of a little mouse, "tell your men to drop their weapons and slowly put yours down too."


	13. No Time for Debate

Author's note: I suck. Work sucks, school sucks and unpaid internships suck. I hope you all like this latest installment and I expect maybe two more chapters to come before finishing up. For my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your long weekend! I know I will!

* * *

Carol made her way through the depths of the prison and found an exit that led to the woods near the back. Once outside, she began slowly walking towards the designated hiding spot for Carl, Beth and Hershel. She had one advantage, and that was her knowledge of the prison and surrounding areas. They had planned out designated meeting areas, deep in the woods and in relative safety, so Carol knew that she could find a way to cut off this assassin.

The lone man was wielding a machine gun, but also had another gun slung on his back and a quite large knife in a holder strapped to his thigh. He meant business and Carol knew that she needed to get him in a sneak attack or she wouldn't get him at all.

He was walking slowly, but with purpose and in that moment, he reminded her of Daryl. He was tracking and he was good at it. Carl, Beth and Hershel were still well hidden, but she knew that he would be closing in soon if she didn't take care of business.

Daryl had taught her a few things about the woods and she ensured that her footsteps were as quiet as physically possible, but this man was good. As she was ducking behind bushes and trees for cover, she lost sight of him for a moment.

A moment was all it took for the Governor's man to situate himself behind Carol, "You didn't think it would that easy did ya darlin'?"

Carol froze and cursed herself for her carelessness. She hadn't told anyone where she was going and now she had given the Governor's side the advantage of a hostage.

_No._

She wouldn't be a burden to the others. She would not be taken again.

"I did, honestly" she turned to face the heavily armed assassin, "figured you weren't much of a shot if your boss sent you out to roam the woods while all the heavy fighting was going on back at the prison."

His gun was in her face in a second, "don't have to be a good shot at this range."

He quickly grabbed her gun and pushed her to her knees, "don't worry, I ain't going to kill ya here. First, you're gonna show me how to get into the prison and then I'll probably let the Governor kill you in front of your friends."

"Can't do it yourself?" Carol needed to make him angry, angry people make mistakes and she just needed him to slip up once, "you're nothing but a henchman".

The blow to the face was expected, but still surprising and Carol fell to the ground, "shut up you little bitch!" the henchman grabbed her by the upper arm and hauled her to her feet, "I think I'm gonna kill you myself once your little friends hand over the prison."

He grabbed her face with his hand, "or maybe I'll keep you around, teach you a lesson."

Carol had been through worse and his threat would have shaken her to the core a year ago, but now, it meant nothing. She simply closed her eyes and raised her chin sharply in an attempt to escape his harsh grasp.

The click of the safety being turned off and a new voice penetrated the silence of the woods, "maybe someone should've taught you to never turn your back during war."

The gunshot rang out through the woods and Carol knew that everyone back at the prison would be worried sick, but she didn't care as she watched the man before her drop dead and she saw the smoking gun in the hands of her old friend.

"It's about time you showed up" Carol cracked a smile as Andrea lowered her gun and wrapped her friend in a hug. Andrea had managed to grab a pair of pliers with her feet and escape from her bindings before walker-Milton could take a chunk out of her.

"Where is everyone? Why are you alone? Did he hurt you?" Andrea noticed the bruise forming on Carol's face, but Carol shrugged her off and started gathering her things.

They quickly started grabbing the guns from the fallen man, "Carl, Beth and Hershel were away from the prison with Judith and they would have gone to safe zone two after a shot that close. We need to hurry back to the prison, they'll be fine, but the Governor has the others in a stand-off and I bet that he thinks he's just won."

Andrea agreed and Carol began to form a plan of action as they ran towards the prison, "We need to go around the back. If we can get behind the Governor and his men, we can end this. They are solely focused on the prison and there's a solid line of trees plus a ton of places past the fences where we can hide," she turned to Andrea once they got close, "I'm going to kill him this time, no turning back."

Andrea merely nodded, "Bastard tied me to a chair and stabbed one of the best men in that entire town so that he could turn and kill me. He helped me escape before he died," Andrea's voice became solemn as she continued, "Phillip told me all about what happened with you and Glenn once he had me tied up. I can't believe that I didn't see through him."

Carol was mad, but she knew that she couldn't blame Andrea for any of this. She hadn't been able to see through Ed's evils and that had caused her and her daughter an immeasurable amount of grief. She was able to avoid the topic as they heard machine gun fire from the prison that made them double their running speed.

The women ran from safety spot to safety spot, hiding behind filing cabinets and old tables that the prison group had erected days ago. They could hear the Governor asking his men which view they wanted once they moved into their newly acquired prison and Carol knew that this was her opportunity.

Andrea moved to her left and Carol walked, as swiftly and quietly as a mouse, towards the man that was threatening her family. As he was laughing, she placed the barrel of her gun against his skull, "tell your men to drop their weapons and slowly put yours down too."

The henchmen lowered their guns immediately, but the Governor was not one to give up so easily. His disdain for the cowardice shown by his men was clear on his face, but he slowly turned, with his hands raised, to face Carol.

"Hello there, darlin'," even with a gun pointed between his eyes, Philip Blake was calm and collected. He was quite certain that his charm could surpass any situation that he could be placed in; however, he was now facing two, extremely angry, women.

"Decided to come on over to our side, hm?" He heard a snort and his eyes darkened as they landed on Andrea, "should've known that even as a biter Milton couldn't do his damn job."

Andrea stayed focused on the two men while Carol kept her unwavering gun on the Governor, "Rick! Andrea made it out! We have their guns, come on out!"

"Carol!?" Daryl's voice rang out immediately and the prison group started running towards the middle ground.

Andrea and Carol were pushing their captives forward when one of the men decided to try and grab Andrea's gun. He turned, but before he could do anything, a bolt went through his head and he fell to the ground. Daryl was standing in the distance, crossbow raised and waiting for someone to make a wrong move so that he could end them as well.

"Get on the ground!" Rick ran towards them, python outstretched in one hand and handcuffs in the other, "on the ground! Now!"

The remaining henchman fell to the ground, clearly fearing the crossbow now pointed between his eyes. The Governor, on the other hand, was reluctant to give in immediately.

"Now, now gentlemen," he called loudly, "Carol and I were just catching up a little," the barrel of Carol's gun pressed against his temple, harshly.

Before Rick could reach them, Carol decided that this was not a debate that she wanted to have. This man deserved to die. This man had made her feel weak and weak was something that she never wanted to feel again.

"We're done catching up. What would your little girl think of you now, hmm? My Sophia would be proud. Proud that I am finally standing up to men like you", Carol smiled wistfully, "I only wish I could have done this to my husband long ago and gotten her away from that life."

The Governor looked a little confused, but his smug smile was short lived as he registered what was about to happen.

The gunshot was unexpected and the Governor fell to ground just as Rick arrived with his handcuffs at the ready.


End file.
